To introduce this week’s article I would like to make it short and to raise your attention to a festival called Eye on Palestine.
It was really tempting to talk about the situation. Then I realised that the subject is too long, too complicated, too controversial. And was already talked about by many smart people around the World, so I better just shut up. I’m just fed up to read a manichean point of view on the situation : either you’re pro Palestinian and therefore anti-Israel, or the opposite. None of those view is viable. And it’s more than exhausting to hear someone being treated as anti-semitic if he comes with a simple critic of the actions of the Israeli government. This is crazy and even more when you see how israeli and even sometimes jewish are the people criticising.
It’s a fact: there’s bad guys on both side.
What is – in my opinion – more interresting is the fact that there’s good people on both side too. All of them who are dreaming of building piece. The festival Eye on Palestine focus on those type of people. And it’s a relief.

Yesterday, I’ve published a guide (in French) and a map about project spaces and all non profit art spaces, in Brussels. I explain what is a project space and which ones you can find in town. Actually I already had to update the map!
If you would like to pay a visit to one of those initiatives, you have the choice: there’s the opening of an exhibition by Eva la Cour, an artist in residence at Odradek who’s showing a site specific artwork. There’s also a site specific work done by Jean Ulrick Désert at Platform102 about the history of Belfian colonialism. If you go to apes&castles, you’ll be seeing the first event of a serie for the speakeasies. And Super Deals is also hosting an artist in residence, Erika Kraus who will show us her work.
The guide also talk about art center, as there’s links with the alternative scene. For example Iselp is organising a guide tour called “Let’s Walk” to visit some of those spaces. This week is Plateform102 and c-o-m-p-o-s-i-t-e.
Recyclart is hosting residencies in its Vitrine number 7. The artists who are there for the moment are a collective called Prévan and they will show us their experimental projections.
Obviously I can not talk about everything and all places where there’s an exhibition. So I gave in the link below some other ideas of exhibitions to visit in the comong days.
Among those links you’ll find the latest edition of Salon du Sang neuf at Atelier Claus with different artists invited, including Edwin Yves Andre who’s gonna do a conference-debate.

And of course there’s many exhibitions in the commercial art galleries, and I’ll surely go and visit the group of galleries who do all have their venue in the Rivoli building: they tend to organise the opening the same evening and here they will be all open on Sunday for an “open door” afternoon.

If you’re interrested about architecture and city planning, you should definitely follow the program of the following organisations:
First the Public School of Architecture: it’s public in the sense of the program is made by the public! So you can decide of a subject and if other people are interrested and they find a good speaker, you’ll have your course on the subject in question. This week, don’t ask me what is it about exactly… the subject is Afrofuturism! The course will be held at Bozar.
Another great organizer is the Brussels Academy. They have a serie of events and one of them is the Stadssalonurbain. For this edition, a speaker will come from Switzerland and will talk to us about the Mega-Event Syndrom and the problem for a city who’s hosting one (like World Cup or Olympic Games,…). It’s a big issue and the consequences are not great…
Another event about city planning will be held at the BIP where we’ll get to hear what are the top ten challenges for Brussels.

Depending on what you like there must be a concert you want to attend, no?
For me, one of the most important event is the Release party of a compilations made by Radio Panik. It includes some sessions that took place in their studio during some of the radio shows, lately. So it’s a wide variety of type of music. To celebrate the release, there’s a concert evening and party (and a second part will follow next week). It’s in Ateliers Claus in Saint-Gilles.

There’s other ideas of concert at the bottom of the pages, with all the links, but I need to also give a word about two poetry/concert nights. The first one is a Living Room concert, with a jazz band to start followed by a reading by my friend Aliette Griz. She will read few pages from her very first novel to be published! It is called “S’éclipser” (and is in French).
The other night is in English, with the poet Amir Sulaiman who’s invited by Arise in the Air at Bravo Café. The poetry will be here followed by concert by Soul T, ….

And then, here you are with a party mood. Well, as usual you have plenty of choice. Would it be a balkan/carpathian/thrakian vs jazz manouche just like at home? Well, you’ll have it in Schaerbeek in a provate home.

Would you preffer a Dance Hall party, with a little touch of hip hop? Here you have it at Bazaar. Or you’re more into Drum? Then you should go to the Royal Yacht Club. Oh, I see… you’re an electro type of person. Well, there’s the Wood, right? This week-end there’s a party by the label Electronic Reeds and one of the DJ is Lee Van Dowski who’s coming from Genève.

Don’t complaint, there’s always more than one electro party. If you’re more into Techno, then you have the Technoon on Sunday afternoon at the KultuurKafé. There’s also a party called “From Berlin To Detroit invites Tom Hagen” by Radio Vibration and which will be held in Forest.

But maybe you’re looking for something more trendy, artsy? Then you should definitely go to the On year anniversary of Foreseen, an independant art initiatice. They are throwing a party at Epicerie Moderne!

You also have a party at Studio Marcel (just next to Recyclart). Or maybe you want to meet some handsome italians but still be artsy and still be electro? Oh my… you’re asking me so much… Ok, then go to the Art Sound party in the art gallery called Canal 05.

Or you can attend a party in a gloomy bar in the area of Flagey. I’ve wrote, last year an Infamous Guide to Flagey bars, and at that time the California wasn’t under my spot. It was only dark and weird. Now, a year later, it still is, but there’s a party this week-end with DJ’s who usually spin at Café Central or the Dillens… The bar is called California and this would be one of the only chances to get inside, I guess….
In the same guide, I didn’t fail to mention the existence of the Black Sheep. If you read this in English and already spend some time you may have been there already, which is probably not the case of the french speaking readers (and myself), so you wondered why you’re not meeting us? Well it seems we don’t go to the same spots!. Anyway, I’ll try to pay a visit, it’s about time that I get there and why not doing it when they are hosting a party? The music seems ok (not terrific but ok). So I go to your spots, please go and visit mine. While doing that I’m not sure we’ll ever meet…